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TORONTO — Canada's New Democrats have chosen Thomas Mulcair to lead their party at a critical time in its history.

The Montreal MP, who has promised to protect the NDP's year-old political beachhead in Quebec, now has the responsibility of leading the party to further success as it tries to replace the governing Tories in the next election.

Mulcair, 57, won the leadership battle over six rivals Saturday after an unpredictable finish that went to four ballots.

By the time the final votes were cast, Mulcair had captured 57.2 per cent of the total — beating his closest rival, former party president Brian Topp, who finished with 42.8 per cent on the last ballot.

In a speech to New Democrats after his victory was announced, Mulcair promised to carry on the legacy of his predecessor, the late Jack Layton, and also encourage more Canadians to support the party.

Instead, it was "giving people a reason to believe, that you can vote for change."

Mulcair promised to put that into action.

"Democracy can't just mean the right to vote. Democracy must also mean the knowledge that your vote matters."

Mulcair also was highly critical of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's Conservative government, which he said operates by appealing to peoples' fears and "seeking out division."

Speaking from a trade visit in Tokyo, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he looks forward to work with Mulcair.

"Today's obviously a good day for Thomas Mulcair," Harper told reporters. He went on to congratulate his new rival for his victory.

Back in Toronto, Mulcair said "in order to win the next election and to have our first NDP government, our party must reach beyond its traditional base and unite all progressive forces under the NDP's banner."

That message — a clear offer to Liberal and Green supporters to switch political allegiances — was reinforced by Mulcair later in his speech.

"As we try to unite progressive forces in Canada we won't do it by sacrificing the unity of our country."

"For far too long, certain leaders did nothing more than divide Canadians, pitting francophones against anglophones, west to the east. Even if this division can lead to short term political gain, the price to pay is far too heavy to our nation."

In an interview with the CBC, however, the new leader said he would not seek to merge with the federal Liberals in order to gain the country's top job.

"It's absolutely not in the cards," Mulcair said late Saturday night.

Mulcair said Canadians are worried about programs ranging from medicare to public pensions.

"As we unite our party to take on a government that is dismantling the very institutions that we hold dear, we will do so without excluding or demonizing those who disagree with us."

"We will unite progressives, we will unite our country, and together we will work toward a more just and better world."

Throughout the day at the convention hall in Toronto, thousands of New Democrats were gripped by the uncertainty of where the contest was headed.

As well, the convention was marred by delays in voting because of technical issues involving the online vote for people casting ballots back in their own communities, as well as those in the hall.

NDP officials said outside mischief makers were responsible for "jamming up" the computer system but that they did not violate the integrity of the vote itself.

Going into the convention, Mulcair was the undisputed front-runner. But there was no certainty of Mulcair's victory in the complicated voting system that involved New Democrats voting Saturday, as well as those who had already cast their vote several days earlier in preferential ballots.

However, Mulcair finished first on each of the four ballots, and his share of the vote grew as the day progressed.

When final ballot was announced, Topp said:

"It's over and we have a new leader. I'm very proud to support him. He's going to be an excellent leader."

It was a significant victory for Mulcair, who faced criticism during the campaign that he might not have the personal temperament to lead the party and that as a former Quebec Liberal, he might be poised to bring the NDP too close to the political centre.

In the end, New Democrats appear to have been swayed by Mulcair's experience and his reputation as a fierce political scrapper who is primed to do battle with Harper.

Among those who moved to support Mulcair on the convention floor was Ontario MP Charlie Angus, who made the move after his first choice, Dewar, dropped out.

Angus said he was motivated by a desire to promote party unity as MPs head back to the House of Commons Monday.

"This is about bringing the party together and getting ready to be prime minister," said Angus.

After he was knocked out of the race, Cullen freed his supporters to vote for either Mulcair or Topp, and he publicly praised both men as people who knew the party needs to be modernized.

"Some have said that this may be a struggle for the soul of this party," said Cullen. "That may be a little dramatic . . . . They are both open to the idea that the party must seek change."

Earlier, as he entered the convention, Mulcair was upbeat about his chances.

"We've run a great campaign," he told reporters. "We're just going to bring it to the wire now."

Mulcair, born in Ottawa as the second of 10 children, was raised and educated in Quebec. He became a lawyer and then worked in the Quebec government before turning to politics and becoming a Liberal member of the provincial assembly in 1994. He served as environment minister in Premier Jean Charest's cabinet from 2003 to 2007 but left over a disagreement.

Mulcair, looking federally, chose to become a New Democrat and ran successfully for the party in Outremont in 2007.

He was the party's sole Quebec MP until, in last year's election, he helped leader Jack Layton in the Orange Wave that elected 59 Quebec NDP MPs.

Mulcair is married to Catherine Pinhas and the couple have two sons.

The final ballot came after a seven-month campaign that was largely absent of sharp, interesting debate. However, it became clear as the convention came near that the voting day could be as exciting as it would be unpredictable.

In the closing days of the race, some defining themes emerged that crystallized the choice faced by New Democrats.

Mulcair was touted as the best chance to go up against Harper in the Commons and maintain support in Quebec. More than half of the party's 102 seats come from the province.

Others, such as Topp and Nash, appealed to a more traditional base within the party — urging New Democrats to modernize but maintain their principles.

Cullen, the wild card in the race, had a strong base from B.C. and advocated that the party work with Liberals and the Green party — through a system of joint nominations in Tory-held ridings — to beat the Conservatives in the 2015 election.

Throughout the country, roughly 130,000 card-carrying members of the party were eligible to vote in recent days, either through the mail or online.

By the time advance polls closed on Friday morning before the candidates' speeches, 55,659 people had cast their votes for the first ballot, as well as preferential choices for possible subsequent ballots.

Within the party, there were complaints that voting packages had arrived late in the mail across Canada — making it difficult for people to make their choices and return their ballots in time. In response, the party extended the postmark date for mail-in ballots.

The convention drew 4,629 New Democrats.

After the results of the first ballot were announced Saturday morning, the field quickly narrowed. Ashton, who finished last, was obliged to drop out of the race.

Two others — Dewar and Singh — could have stayed in for the next ballot. But they pulled out of the race.

Dewar said he ran a "fantastic campaign" right up until his speech Friday which he said touched many people.

While some have suggested the Ottawa MP, who has long struggled with the French language, lost momentum after the Quebec debates, Dewar dismissed the idea.

"When I got into the debate I was quite relaxed. I was quite pleased with the way in which I was able to conduct myself."

mkennedy@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/Mark-Kennedy-

tcohen@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/tobicohen

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